British and Irish Lions

England's victory over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday buried the hoodoo of three last-gasp Grand Slam failures and extended their winning run to a record-equalling 11 Test matches.

It is a sequence which includes autumn wins over Jones' Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and landed England their first championship clean sweep since 1995.

Jones came to Europe on a fact-finding mission during the RBS 6 Nations and left impressed, not simply by England's brilliance but also of the strides taken by the likes of Italy.

European rugby, he believes, is setting the standard, with all-conquering England the flag-bearers.

"I think we have always had a tendency in the past to think the southern hemisphere was progressive, but in the northern hemisphere there is certainly a lot of good rugby going on," said Jones, who was at Twickenham to witness Clive Woodward's side rip through Italy in the opening 20 minutes.

"In terms of preparation and practice, we can learn a lot from northern hemisphere rugby.

"I think the Grand Slam confirmed England to be the best side in Europe. They have been impressive in terms of their consistency and high level of performance.

"It is a confirmation of their high standards. I thought England were very impressive."

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.

Tom Youngs has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British & Irish game but he won't be resting on his laurels ahead of his first Lions adventure.

Check out the video from the day the HSBC Cubs met The British & Irish Lions at the Vale of Glamorgan in a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.